Breaking Away From Ordinary

Tag: Coast to Coast AM

That word conjures up a lot, doesn’t it? Have you ever discussed, or considered that you may have lived a life, or many lives before? Some are vehemently opposed to it, for religious, non-religious or scientific reasons. Some believe it’s a lie of the devil. Others point to the fact that there are more people alive today than in the past. Their rationale follows; if we’re living over and over again, why would population numbers rise?

The question is often framed as: Do you believe is reincarnation? Or: Is reincarnation real? Very loaded questions. If you ask the first, well, the answer is predicated upon the belief system of the person being asked. A devout Christian will likely answer in the negative. A Buddhist will give you an absolute affirmative. Both are following spiritual belief systems, both have very different views of what happens to a soul after physical death of the body it inhabits.

Similarly the question of ‘real’ is going to depend on the views of the person answering. To someone who thinks the concept of the soul is nonsense, or just superstition, asking if reincarnation is ‘real’ will only gain you rolled eyes and perhaps a snort of derision. People who only consider scientifically verifiable facts as ‘real’ are unlikely to spend much time pondering the reality of the soul, or it’s disposition after death.

What if ‘belief’ was not necessary? What if this world that we think of as ‘reality’ is only a stage for learning life lessons? What if ‘real life’ is really on the other side of physical death?

I was listening to the September 11, 2012 podcast of Coast to Coast AM recently. The guest that night was Rich Martini, an author and filmmaker who has looked at past-life regression cases and the experiences people have between lives. He has a film and a book called Flipside, where he interviews hypnotherapists trained by Dr. Michael Newton and examines their cases. Dr. Newton developed the Life Between Lives hypnotherapy method to help people access their soul memory.

After regressing 7000 people, a number of consistencies arose in the stories of what happens after death. A meeting with loved ones and spirit guides who comprise your soul group, a review of the life just lived, planning the next life to be lived, and making agreements with the others in the soul group on who is going to play what parts in the upcoming incarnation.

Mr. Martini frequently used the analogy that life on earth is like performing a play on a stage. Everyone in your life has a role to act out; as in a well-plotted story, the villain has a purpose as much as the good guy, who frequently learns a valuable lesson through the conflict. Who plays the good guy and who plays the villain is something that is predetermined before birth in the between life stage, and roles are often swapped in multiple lives. We are given the stage, but not a script.

So many other questions arise. What about good and evil? Why do some people do bad things? Why, if we ‘choose’ this life, would bad things happen in it? The answer is 42 (thank you, Douglas Adams, where ever you are now). The answer makes no sense, because you don’t really understand the question. It can be very hard for those of us on this side of the veil to understand why bad things happen, however once on the other side, these reasons become clear. We only really understand when we are between lives.

Personally, I have had a past life regression that had a dramatic impact on me. I went with a friend one day, about twenty years ago to a group regression session. A little background: since I was a little girl (like 3 or 4 years old) I had this horrible fear of dying in a submarine. I had recurring dreams about it. On my first visit to Disneyland I flat refused to get on the Submarine Voyage until my parents pointed out the submarine never actually submerged. I can still remember tearfully asking, “It never goes under water?” Only that reassurance convinced me it was okay to get on the ride.

Fast forward to my past life regression. I found myself in a German U-boat that was sinking fast from a near miss. The crew was in utter chaos, shouts in German, blaring alarms and flickering, fading lights filled my vision. Nothing could stop our descent to the bottom, and soon we were in pitch black. The hull crumpled after we hit bottom, we had enough time to realize we were all going to die. My last thought was of my wife and son, left behind, and I could see them waving goodbye to me. It was at this point the group leader brought us out of the regression, and I was still in the midst of dying and remembering my family. To put it simply, I lost it. I sat up, crying, sobbing and hysterical. I brought the whole group to a standstill, the leader had to come over to help me, and my friend was looking at me like I’d grown a second head. I know you don’t know me, but I don’t get hysterical. You can’t, when you’re working with animals that might kill you. I don’t have panic attacks, and I certainly don’t break down in front of groups, I hate having that sort of attention directed at me. Yet, there I was in full meltdown. Fortunately, the group leader was experienced enough to help me out, and I calmed down.

I have never had a submarine dream since. I can look at submarines now without feeling short of breath, where previously, just seeing them in pictures or a movie would make me feel like walls were closing in and I couldn’t take a deep breath. That whole irrational phobia has simply evaporated.

Was I once a German sailor on a lost U-boat? I would love to take another regression and see if I can find out more details. Do you think you have lived previous lives? Are you interested in finding out more? Have you had a past life regression session? Check out Wikipedia for a really good article with lots of links about real research into past lives, and regression therapy.

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You’re out hiking in the woods on a late summer evening. The full moon is rising above the distant hills. You can’t see it, but its brilliant silver light spills between the boles of the trees and the world around you is moving light and shadow. The only sound is the rustle of your feet through the small green plants lining the forest floor and the wind sighing through the branches above you.

Off to your left, a bush shakes violently, and with a spray of leaves a massive creature leaps out onto the path in front of you. It hunches on all fours, before slowly unfolding to a two-legged stance that towers over you. The last thing you see as it lunges at you are its wolf-like jaws parting.

I confess. I love the idea of being a shapeshifter. Seriously, how fun would it be to be able to change into another creature? Better than being dead, and still walking around. If I had a choice between becoming a werewolf and becoming a vampire, well, I’d be werewolf all the way. Frankly I don’t care how lively a vampire is, they’re still just a pretty zombie. Enamored as I am of the werewolf mythos, I have always relegated it to the world of make-believe, or at least that it exists purely on the spiritual realm. But what if it wasn’t?

I found this website, The Beast of Bray Road. Linda Godfrey details on her blog and her websites about large creatures with manlike bodies and wolflike heads in rural Wisconsin and Michigan. Multiple sightings, encounters, even a movie was made about these beasts, and Animal Planet talks about them.

Another version of Bigfoot, right? Possibly. But then again, what is Bigfoot? Lots and lots of theories have been put forth, including that these are dimensional creatures, able to shift back and forth between our reality and others. I find these reports interesting, but I have no definitive views either way. I heard Linda on Coast to Coast one night, and the sheer number of sightings was impressive, reported by people from all walks of life. I do think our world is wider and wilder than most people think, and the idea that these wolf-men might actually exist is absolutely intriguing.

Not long ago, I heard David Paulides on Coast to Coast AM. He was discussing his book, Missing 411, which describes mysterious disappearances from national parks. Mr. Paulides has a long history in law enforcement and investigation, and I listened to him detail case after case of people who have gone missing under extremely unusual circumstances. It was a memorable show, but what really stood out was when he described a little girl who went missing. When she was found told of being carried away by a ‘big wolf’ who ‘picked her up in his arms.’ He ‘gave her berries to eat’ and ‘ate her hat.’ Many of those recovered described similar encounters with large beasts. Again, intriguing, compelling but not definitive. I think I’ll have to pick up Mr. Paulides book and get the full story.

What would you do if you ran into a werewolf? Would you want to be bitten? Do you think it possible that some form of this creature could exist in our world?

I would love to hear your thoughts!

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When I was in grade school, I was the weird one. Were you? I was the one who read too much, asked the questions that made the teacher stammer, and was always out of step with what was hip or cool because I was too busy thinking up new stories, wondering which superpower I’d most like to have, or watching a spider spin a web. I pondered if there really were aliens, or gods, or ghosts like the ones I read about in books, or saw chasing me down my upstairs hallway.

Did I mention I read way too much? Is there such a thing? I was reading Robert Heinlein and Anne McCaffrey when most girls my age were reading Nancy Drew or Judy Blume. Robert E. Howard’s Conan and random copies of John Norman’s Gor series also found their way into my collection at an early age. I’m grateful my parents never really knew just what was between those pages. I loved the show ‘In Search Of’ hosted by Leonard Nimoy. I was fascinated by ancient myths, and the legend of Atlantis.

Today, my interests find multiple outlets, and since writing is one of them, I’d love to share with you on the weekends, some of the things I love most about the supernatural, paranormal and extraterrestrial.

The paranormal is a close, personal friend. As a psychopomp I help release earthbound spirits, as a Reiki Master-Teacher I offer energetic healings to my friends, family and loved ones. I really enjoyed sharing these experiences through this blog, and loved reading your remarks and comments. Like my dog-training Wednesdays, though, my paranormal postings need some expansion, hence the Weird Weekend.

Today let me introduce you to two favorites of mine in the book world:

Graham Hancock, author of Supernatural: Meetings with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind, Fingerprints of the Gods, The Message of the Sphinx and many more. I really enjoy Graham’s writings; thought provoking, challenging and controversial, he also hits on my beloved topics of ancient civilizations, other dimensions and realms, and so much else! If you’ve ever wondered if there might be something to the old legends of Atlantis, or floods. If you’ve puzzled over the remnants of what seem to be anomalously high tech ruins such as the pyramids, or the lost cultures of Central and South America, then you will want to read Graham Hancock. He proposes that an unknown, advanced civilization flourished ages ago, at the end of the last ice age, and then backs it up with solid, scientific evidence. I’ve never been disappointed in one of his books.

In the fiction realm, if you don’t know her already, let me introduce you to Jacqueline Carey. From the first pages of Kushiel’s Dart, I was hooked. Lush and decadent, reading one of Ms. Carey’s novels is like sinking into a vast, intoxicating cloud. Vivid imagery, rich characters and beautifully intricate plots will lure you in and never let you go. Her main character, Phedre no Delaunay is sold into a pleasure house at the age of 5, and rises to become friend and advisor to her queen as well as one of the most celebrated courtesans of the realm. Do you like your fantasy richly detailed and extra spicy? You will want to check out Jacqueline Carey.

No blog exploring the paranormal would be complete without mentioning Coast to Coast AM hosted by George Noory. George Knapp, Ian Punnett and John B. Wells also host through the month. If it’s weird, you’ll hear about it on Coast to Coast. Often times, they’ll break news that I won’t hear on my local stations for days, or even weeks later. Colony Collapse Disorder in bees? Heard about it on C to C. Aliens? Did you want to talk about Roswell? Or Rendlesham Forest? Just keep listening and you’ll eventually hear it all. Conspiracy theories? The Face on Mars? Jim Marrs and Richard C. Hoagland are frequent guests.

Are you looking for something out of the ordinary? Are you interested in things most people claim could never be? Tell me what you want to know about, let me know what fascinates you about the supernatural. What have you heard go bump in the night?